South African Airways set for major expansion

June 2, 2011 6:50 am Europe/London

SAA is set for some major route expansion and job creation

Jobs prospects for existing pilots, and yet more encouragement for anyone considering a career in airline crewing, received a boost yesterday with news that South African Airways (SAA) is set for major expansion.

The airline has placed orders for 25 new aircraft as part of its strategy to increase penetration into the African market, the country’s Public Enterprises Minister said yesterday at a press briefing.

The new aircraft, of varying ranges, would be acquired between this year and 2015 for use for long-range as well as domestic and regional hauls.

The aircraft would be acquired without state funding and were coming as the airline was taking delivery of six Airbus A330-200s for the 2011-12 financial year, SAA spokeswoman Dileseng Koetle said.

The job creation figures are impressive. Growth of state-owned entities would see at least 13,000 new direct jobs created and an additional 40,414 jobs in their associated supply chains.

Watch this space for news of crew jobs for qualified pilots as the airline’s plans become clearer.